Schumer Promises A Budget

On Meet the Press this morning, Chuck Schumer promised that this year, Democrats will finally adopt a budget:

The third-ranking Senate Democrat says Democrats will pass a budget proposal this year that includes new taxes and “our Republican colleagues had better get used to that fact.”

Word is that the Republicans will agree to raise the debt ceiling for 90 days if the Democrats will agree, in return, to pass a budget–any budget. Maybe Schumer is signaling that such an offer will be accepted; I am not sure whether it has officially been made yet. Schumer’s comment is, in any event, rather comical. Senate Democrats can pass a budget with 51 votes, so if they want a budget that calls for higher taxes they can easily adopt one. That doesn’t mean, however, that legislation that increases taxes will actually pass the Senate, let alone the House. Republicans would love to “get used to” the Democrats’ putting their plans for the nation’s finances on paper, higher taxes and all. They have been begging the Democrats to do so for the last four years.

The Associated Press tries to put Schumer’s comments in context, but as always, they can’t resist offering the Democrats a little cover: